NHS bosses criticise overtime rates allegedly offered to doctors as being unfair or fraudulently obtained.

There is also the additional consideration of costs; should something happen that necessitates urgent repairs on an ongoing basis then any work can only be accomplished at great expense to both time and resources. “Moreover, while paying consultants for additional work was necessary in order to reduce waits and provide safe care services quickly, the NHS remained dedicated to spending taxpayer dollars wisely”. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Wes Streeting acknowledged the rates were unacceptable but insisted: “Each and every penny contributed into the NHS must be well spent. “But the British Medical Association (BMA), doctors’ union, has noted that without staff shortages the NHS wouldn’t need so much overtime.” “According to one source, consultants were in an unusually strong bargaining position compared to other hospital staff as their contracts permitted them to opt-out of weekend work and charge whatever their hospital could afford for overtime work. Furthermore, it wasn’t in their interests for BMA renegotiate contracts more than 20 years old,” they noted. NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust paid two consultants from its endoscopy department – which offers internal examinations – overtime of more than PS180,000. To address a backlog in treatment, NHS Frimley paid PS180,000 each in overtime fees each. To provide value for money. They said “any spending we incur must bring tangible benefits for patients”. NHS Humber Health Partnership operates five hospitals and paid three consultants between PS185,000 and PS240,000 in overtime costs between January 2018 and July 2018 as part of an effort to fund additional surgeries over weekends to decrease waiting lists. Chief Medical Officer Kate Wood said this spending had allowed extra operations at weekends that helped shorten waiting lists.” “We examine the costs associated with shifts against their risks of not having coverage,” explained Sheppard. “Patient safety remains our number-one goal and is paramount here. “This decision-making is by no means unique to our institution – but instead can serve to build collaboration among providers across different facilities across a region or an organisation.” “Getty ImagesWorcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust paid three consultants more than PS100,000. One topped PS198,000 alone.” Managing director Stephen Collman stated they attempted to reduce “premium payments”, however due to sickness absence coverage costs and vacant posts needing filling (ie for keeping services running safely and effectively) it had no choice other than make premium payments in some areas. Some hospitals reported overtime rates had increased since 2014 as BMA advised its consultants for strike coverage coverage to demand increased fees from consultants requesting increases as requested rates were asked from consultants for higher fees from BMA consultant networks to request higher wages when providing strike cover during strike action by BMA consultants asking them for additional fees as demanded from BMA consultants when providing strike cover. “This has created an expectation in patients of what they should receive,” according to one official, but BMA consultant co-leaders Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta disagree, explaining: “Unfortunately, due to an understaffed workforce in crisis and increasing patient demand that has caused sky high waiting lists – extra hours of work may be required in order for our providers to get through our patient population efficiently.” “They argued much of this work occurred outside regular office hours and was done by professionals with highly-trained expertise, therefore justifying paying “appropriate rates”.Danny Mortimer from NHS Employers–an organization representing hospitals on employment issues–stated “health leaders are currently trying to reduce extracontractual premium pay rates; but with consultants playing such an essential part in managing waiting lists there are no easy solutions available”.